Thermostatic regulating device



Nov. 13, 1962 K. PORLAND ETAL 3,063,640

THERMOSTATIC REGULATING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 6, 1959 FIG. I.

United States Patent Ofitice 3,063,640 THERMSSTATKC REGULATKNG DEVKCEKjeld Portland and Carl S1'ensen, Nordborg, Als, Denmark, assignors toDanioss ved lngenior Mads Qiausen,

Nordhorg, Als, Denmark, a company of Denmark Original application Feb.6, 1959, Ser. No. 791,578, now

Patent No. 2,997,241, dated Aug. 22, 1961. Divided and this applicationDec. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 74,4114- Claims priority, application DenmarkFeb. 6, 1958 1 Claim. (Cl. 236-99) This invention relates to athermostatic regulating element for a spring-activated control device,preferably a valve body, and consisting of an exchangeable casing inwhich is contained a feeler with a movable Wall which is in connectionwith an axially-displaceable stem acting on the control device, themovable wall for varying the steam pressure necessary for displacing thestem being subjected to spring action directed against the wall.

It is the object of the invention to provide a regulating element of thecharacter indicated without a protruding feeler, which is easy to adjustand to replace, in which the feeler is not subjected to torsionalstresses when the operating control of the regulating element is turnedin order to vary the working pressure in the feeler, and in whichadjustments in the tension of the spring involve no displacement of thevalve body towards its closing position. This is accomplished inaccordance with the invention by means of a regulating element whereinthe end of the displaceable stem which faces the feeler is guided in asleeve attached to the movable end bottom of the feeler, and foradjusting the tension of the spring acting on the movable end bottom ofthe feeler, and consequently the working pressure necessary fordisplacing the stem, there are provided means which are movable inrelation to each other longitudinally of the stem and serve to transmit,without producing any torsional stresses on the feeler, a variation,produced by turning an operating handle, in the force exerted by thespring on the movable end bottom of the feeler.

An essential feature of the regulating valve, according to theinvention, is that the feeler is a membrane box attached in theregulating casing and has a resilient end bottom or membrane. Attachedto the sleeve mounted on this membrane is one end of a pair of curvedlaminated springs which surround the membrane box, the other end of thesprings being attached to a sleeve with an inside screwthread. In orderto tension the spring, the sleeve may be moved on a screwthreaded stern,one end of which is adapted to rest on the fixed end bottom of themembrane box while its other end carries an operating handle,

The regulating element is particularly intended to be mounted on aradiator valve with a relieved valve body. Thus, the valve stem may bemade of thin material having low thermal conductivity, for example,stainless steel, as a result of which the amount of heat that can betransmitted from the valve body is negligible and does not influence thefunction of the regulating element. The device of this inventionrequires a minimum of material for its manufacture and is low in height.

The invention w ll now be explained in detail with reference to thedrawing, in which FIG. 1 is a section of a valve with a regulatingelement embodying features of the invention and including a membrane boxon which laminated springs act;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the feeler shown in FIG. 1.

On a valve casing 11 there is mounted a regulating element with acylindrical casing 2 the side walls of which are provided with flowopenings 3 for the air in the room so that this air has free access to afeeler contained within Patented Nov. 13, 1962 the casing 2. The feeleris a membrane box with a movable end bottom or membrane 17 on which asleeve 20 is mounted. On the sleeve 20 are mounted a pair of curvedlaminated springs 21 (KG. 2), which are bent over the membrane box 16,their other ends being attached to a sleeve 22 having an insidescrewthread and being capable of moving along a similarly screwthreadedstem 23 when the latter is turned by means of the operating handle 2which is rotatable within the casing 2. Guided in the sleeve 2th is theend of a valve stem 8 carrying a cylindrical pressure-relieved valvebody 9, the stem 3 extending through a guide plug 10 threadedly engagedin the casing 2, and the valve body 9 being biased upwardly by a spring11. The movements of the end bottom or membrane 17 are thus transmittedto the valve body 9 through the stem 8. The membrane box 16 is held inposition by arms 12 extending from the walls of the casing 2 at thesides of the openings 3. The springs 21 extend between these arms.

The tension of the springs 21 and consequently the steam pressure in thefeeler necessary for moving the valve stem is regulated by manuallyturning the operating handle 24 relatively to the casing 2. The stem 23is screw hreaded and it threadedly engages the screw threaded sleeve 22.Consequently, upon rotation of casing 24, the stress on the feelersprings 21 is readily varied in response to such rotation by reason ofthe threaded engagement between elements 22 and 23. Thus, the springs 21will compress the membrane box 16 in varying predetermined degrees sothat the amount of steam pressure necessary for closing the valve, andconsequently the temperature in the room, may be varied. The valve body9 does, therefore, not change its position during regulation and mayduring any adjustment travel freely between fully open and fully closedpositions.

This is a division of our copending application, Serial No. 791,578filed February 6, 1959 now patent No. 2,- 997,241.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination with a valve casing and a spring-activated valve bodycontained therein, a thermotatic control unit for said spring-activatedvalve body said unit comprising, in combination, a housing connected tosaid valve casing, regulating handle means rotatable relatively to saidhousing, a stem carried by said handle means and extending into saidhousing, said stem having an externally-threaded portion, and aninternally-threaded sleeve mounted on said threaded portion, anextensible membrane box responsive to temperature contained in saidhousing, said body having an elastic movable wall having a socketsecured thereto, a longitudinally-displaceable spindle having one endengaged in said socket and having its other end engaged with said valvebody, whereby said spindle is positioned to transmit its longitudinalmovements to said valve body, and spring means biasing said movableWall, said spring means comprising a pair of U-shaped leaf springsextending around said membrane box with one end of said springs engagingsaid sleeve and the other end of said springs being positioned to exertpressure upon said movable wall, whereby said springs resiliently actbetween said wall and said internallythreaded sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS850,923 Gold Apr. 23, 1907 1,208,130 Fulton Dec. 12, 1916 1,916,814Shivers July 4, 1933 2,037,142 Newell Apr. 14, 1936

